Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device for the comminution of feed material with a housing enclosing a processing space, in which a rotor rotatable about a rotational axis is arranged, wherein the rotor has a rotor disk at which circumference a plurality of axially aligned impact plates are arranged uniformly distributed, which are surrounded by a coaxially arranged processing space while maintaining a working gap, wherein the device is fed material in an axial direction by means of a material inlet centrally opening into the processing space, and the feed material, after deflection in the area of the rotor disk, is fed in the radial direction to the working gap.
Description of the Background Art
During processing of organic substances such as foodstuffs and feed material, spices or lignocellulosic materials and the like, operators of corresponding installations are confronted with different challenges, depending on the type of feed material and the desired end product, wherein in a variety of cases, the main consideration is the pure comminution of the feed material to a predetermined size and shape.
However, the processing of foodstuffs and feed material also requires a gentle way of material processing, as the gustatory and olfactory properties as well as the original color of the final product should be maintained. This applies in particular to the processing of spices, which occur mostly in the form of nuts, grains, leaves and roots, and which generally have volatile aromatic substances, such as, for example, essential oils. Too much heat input during feed material processing results in a loss of the volatile substances, which represents a considerable loss in quality. Foodstuffs and feed material also have a tendency of adhering to machine parts due to their relatively high moisture content as well as their fat and oil-containing ingredients. There is therefore a risk of material accumulation during processing, which hinders an undisturbed flow of material through the processing machine and therefore requires regular cleaning, in turn increasing the proportion of machine downtimes.
When preparing lignocellulosic materials such as bagasse or bark, on the other hand, the challenge may be to extract substances from the feed material, for example, fiber-containing ingredients, which are needed as raw material for further production processes such as the production of panel materials, or as starting materials for extracting plant extracts.
Both the specific properties of the raw materials and of the final products determine the technical features of the machines used. To this end, the use of universal mills, pin mills, hammer mills, impact mills and the like is known for the processing of organic substances. These mills are characterized by a high comminution capacity, but simultaneously cause a relatively high heat input into the product, which particularly in the treatment of foodstuffs and spices leads to a loss in taste-determining substances. To achieve comminution at low temperatures, it is already known in this regard to add a coolant such as CO2 during processing.